Blood Oranges

Happy New Year Everyone! I hope this New Year is welcoming you all with warm hearts, good health and joy! We’ve been off enjoying some vacation days – nope, we didn’t go anywhere but about town and to see family and a few friends. However, I haven’t really been cooking or baking – just the usual fare.

Today, for example, I made the best pizza crust ever! I’ll have to recreate it a couple times before I’m ready to post about it. But since I have a few pizza recipes up here (even though a good slice of cheese pizza on a crisp, thin crust can make my knees melt), I didn’t feel pressured into making pizza. AND, to be honest, I’m really not eating a lot of pizza and baked goods these days.

I do have some GREAT news about our daughter to share. We received word that our paperwork for her visa went through the National Visa Center in the US and is on the way to Seoul, South Korea (to the US Embassy there). There are only a few more steps to go before she comes home to us! (And honestly, I’m not sure I can handle this waiting much longer!!) This is what else has to happen before she travels:

The US Embassy sends another packet of papers that must be completed by the Korean adoption agency to confirm this adoption.

The Korean agency must get her a passport (Korean) and an emigration permit (these are limited and required before she can leave the country).

Finally, with the paperwork, passport and emigration permit in hand, the Korean agency must bring her to the US Embassy and her travel permission will be granted within 24-72 hours of this meeting.

And then? Well, then she travels home! (The travel dates vary too – usually within 5 days to 3 weeks of the travel papers being completed.)

OH! I think I’m going to BURST some days just waiting.

I’ve tried to keep myself busy. In fact, I finished her quilt top too. I have never really sewn in my life. Well, wait. That’s not true. I had to take a sewing class in middle school. Let’s just say this: straight lines are not really my thing. And this proved to be true with the block quilt I made for our daughter, too. LOL Needless to say, I have some friends who quilt and he saved me from my own bad self by squaring off the quilt for me when I had finished the top.

I have since brought the top to a gal in town who will finishing the “stipling” (I’m learning an entire new vocabulary here too! These are my new vocab terms: selvage, bias (as in “cut it on the bias”) and stipling. My mom is quite proud. LOL). Once the stipling is done, I shall finish the edging (maybe with a few dozen prayers and poked fingers!). When it’s done, I’ll post a picture (as requested) but don’t hold your breath for beauty. Just know that it is made with love. That’s for sure.

I have a few other sewing projects up my sleeves. Maybe if I get enough practice at cutting and sewing, I can make our kidlet some clothes and costumes. (That’s the big plan as it will be a decent money saver, I think.)

And today? Today I tackled Blood Oranges. MMMM. They ARE good.
Today I made blood orange marmalade and some blood orange caramels.

Strange, but true. I made caramels with blood oranges. Completely by accident too. That’s what happens when you simmer your simple syrup a bit too long… .you go for the gold and make caramels out of it. And ya know what? I have to say that it’s not bad, either! I’m enjoying the orange taste with the caramel texture and sweetness.

Do you like blood oranges?
What do you do with them?

We enjoy salads, salsas/chutneys and marmalades. We even use the marmalade to make a great grilling glaze. Just mix the marmalade plus some dijon mustard (GF, of course) and you have the BEST glaze ever.

What about you? What do you make?
I need some ideas, people! I think I’m hitting a wall and I’m looking for a bit of inspiration. Have any to share?
-Kate

As you and your love have been on diets, and I have been in South Florida, I recommend you make blood orange mojo marinade! It is spectacular with pork and chicken (and I even did one with flank steak). Here’s the one I’ve used off the web.

The authentic mojo is made with juice from sour oranges. It still has that little orangy taste, but its very acid and tart. You can come close by mixing equal amounts of freshly squeezed orange juice with lime juice (*). If you live in areas with large concentration of Latinos you will probably find bottled Mojo (Goya brand makes one) or their produce department might have the slightly bumpy, thick skinned sour oranges. This recipe makes one cup.

Katie, I am soooo excited for you!! I just cannot imagine the excitement for you, and the unbearable waiting! I hope everything works out just perfectly! This gives me hope that our adoption will work out…we have hit major snags lately, and I’m feeling a bit discouraged. I am excited to see her picture sometime! (If you choose to post it)

OO, I am so excited for you and your new little girl to finally be together. The blood oranges are gorgeous – I think they would make a beautiful mimosa, juiced and mixed with champagne or sparkling wine (or alcohol free sparkling cider) to celebrate the new year and your new child!

Blood orange caramel!?! that sounds awesome! Please post how you made it. I am also looking forward to your pizza crust recipe – I have been content with the crust recipe I came up with, but after trying a few of your other recipes, I know your’s will be amazing!

Kate! I am so VERY happy for you that your daughter is coming to join you soon! My husband and I plan to adopt a child when we reach the kid stage of our life together, and I can’t begin to imagine how it must feel to be soooo close to having her but not having her yet.

I adore blood oranges—I also love that they have a limited season for enjoying, because it makes them more special to me. To me, they taste a bit like fruit punch mixed with an orange. (My husband says they just taste like an orange, but he’s also someone who says red wine just tastes like red wine. ;)) My favorite way to eat them is either plain or in a salad or fruit salad. I used them in the dairy-free-but-creamy ambrosia I made recently. That recipe is here: http://aprovechar.danandsally.com/?p=581

Lisa–I just posted a popover recipe on my site. http://glutenfreeeasily.com/better-than-sliced-bread/ You can check out the photos to see if you want to try it. The flour mix is just finely ground rice flour (either brown or white will work) and cornstarch. And, xanthan gum is used in the recipe also. You can check it out here.

Kate–I hope you don’t mind me sharing that info … I know you’re pretty busy and preoccupied these days (well, of course … baby on the way!!).